Naomi Pate has been an inspiration to me since I started teaching in Atlanta; her enthusiasm and love for life is contagious. She teaches English and journalism at Maynard Jackson High School in Atlanta, GA. She is also an ambassador for the Atlanta Track Club, so if you’re ever running a race in Atlanta, keep your eyes out for her.
1. Walk us through a great lesson from last week.
My students read an article that criticized the administration of the SAT. We read and annotated together, and I allowed them to express their thoughts as we went through the article. It was the first time I saw my students connect with the text. It was one of my favorite teacher moments this year as my class had been so reluctant to hold discussions. I look forward to bringing them more articles that will encourage them to think and speak.
2. What’s the last great poem or short story that you read?
The Pedestrian by Ray Bradbury
3. How does a teacher know if they are succeeding?
When students are excited about what they are learning and asking questions that connect the world and themselves to the text.
4. What’s one thing that we, as teachers, could be doing better?
Giving ourselves grace. We as teachers tend to be our own biggest, meanest critics. Sometimes, we have to take a step back and realize that it won’t be perfect all the time, but our students are fortunate to have us, even when we don’t feel like we are making a difference.
5. What makes your classroom culture unique?
Each year, I find one collective trait of a class and expand on it. If I have a class full of jokesters, I make sure that there is always an element of humor in my lessons. If I have a talkative class, I make sure that our lessons contain many opportunities for discussion and debates.
6. What is the one novel you can’t imagine removing from your curriculum? Why?
The Great Gatsby. Though it is a dated novel, there are so many rich life lessons that one can learn about life, love, wealth and consequences. I find articles that make some of the themes of the novel relevant to today’s society.
7. Describe your work/life balance.
I am one who tries to keep work at work, but at times, it is inevitable. If I have to work at home, I put myself on a timer so that I have time to myself at home. I make sure that I have time to enjoy life, exercise, and cook my favorite dishes. Sometimes, I have to tell myself that things can be saved for the next day so that I don’t start to feel overwhelmed or burned out.
8. Tell us about a change – practical or philosophical, big or small – that you’ve made since you’ve started teaching.
I have had to adjust the way I approach relationships with my students. While I still remain professional, I have stopped fearing building relationships with my students. I would be that “always serious, never smiling” teacher because I thought that’s what the job required. As I’ve grown into teaching, I now realize that it is perfectly alright to smile, laugh and grow connections with my students.
From Naomi’s Facebook page: “This Black History Month I will be showcasing 28-must read books from Black authors. It will be accompanied by the hashtag #WeWillNotBeErased in response to the political move to remove poignant Black authors from school curriculums.” Her books include:
Beloved, Toni Morrison: “A landmark depiction of the legacy of slavery, an engrossing ghost-story, and a reflection on motherhood and family, Beloved is so much more than the sum of its parts.”-reedsy.com
Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston: “Originally published in 1937, Their Eyes Were Watching God was out of print for nearly 30 years, due to its readers’ initial rejection of its strong, Black, female protagonist. Rigorous, dazzling, and emotionally satisfying, when Hurston’s classic was reissued in 1978, it became one of the most highly acclaimed and widely read novels within African American literature.” reedsy.com
The Color Purple, Alice Walker: “Walker unapologetically writes Southern Black women into world literature in her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Color Purple. Walker’s novel doesn’t soften its blows, but is courageous enough to hold on to its faith in forgiveness and hope.”-reedsy.com
Go Tell It on the Mountain, James Baldwin: “As one of the greatest Black authors, Baldwin published a slew of novels, biographies, and essays in his lifetime. But there’s no better place to start than his first book, Go Tell It on the Mountain. Drawing on his boyhood, Baldwin tells the story of Johnny Grimes growing up in 1930s Harlem, grappling with his religion, his sexuality, and his abusive minister father. Though this novel has a lot to say about race, religion, class, and sexuality, it does so in a way that acknowledges the nuance of the human experience. This is a blazing, enduring, hymn of a novel.”-reedsy.com
Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison: “Published in 1952, Invisible Man was immediately hailed as a seminal work of American fiction. From the Deep South, to the streets of Harlem; expulsion from college, to lightning success as the leader of a communist organization — Ellison’s nameless protagonist ushers readers into a parallel universe that throws our own into harsh relief. Journeying across the racial divide, he realizes that he’s an “invisible man”: people see only a reflection of their preconceived ideas, deny his individuality, and ultimately do not see him at all. Ellison’s theme reveals unparalleled truths about the nature and effects of bigotry”.-reedsy.com
The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes, Langston Hughes: ‘I’ve known rivers: / I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the / flow of human blood in human rivers’. From his most well-known poems, like ‘The Negro Speaks of Rivers’, to his lesser known poems for children, this comprehensive collection contains all of Langston Hughes’ brilliant published poetry, composed over fifty years. The Harlem Renaissance leader’s work has not aged one bit: it is just as fresh, modern, and arresting as it was when it was originally published. Reading Hughes’ poetry will leave you with a sense of awe and the knowledge that you’ve been blessed to know the work of a great mind.”-reedsy.com
The Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler: “It’s 2025 and the world is descending into anarchy. In America, violence rules and only the rich are safe. But one woman has the power to change everything. Lauren’s life is altered beyond recognition when a fire destroys her home and kills her family. Along with a handful of refugees, she is forced to go on a dangerous journey North — and on the way, she comes up with a revolutionary idea that might just save mankind. There’s nothing scarier than a dystopian novel that’s already coming true, and Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower’s exploration of climate change inequality, and racism is alarmingly prescient.”-reedsy.com,
The Nickel Boys, Colson Whitehead: “Whitehead’s bravura novel is based on the true story of a reform school, which operated for 111 years, committed devastating atrocities against boys of color, and warped the lives of thousands of children. This is where Elwood Curtis — a Black boy growing up in Jim Crow-era Florida — finds himself in The Nickel Boys. Elwood’s only salvation at the perilous Academy is Turner, a fellow ‘delinquent’ who challenges his ideals of how the world should work. Rising tension between the two friends leads to a decision with repercussions that will echo through the ages.”-reedsy.com
The Water Dancer, Ta-Nahesi Coates: Here’s a contemporary one for you! “Born on a Virginia plantation named “Lockless”, Hiram is the son of a slave master and a slave. When his mother is sold “down river” and he is left orphaned, he is robbed of his memories of her, but gifted with a mystical power. When this mysterious ability saves him from drowning, Hiram and fellow slave Sophia run away to freedom in the North. Though Coates illuminates the violent degradations heaped upon generations of runaways who waged war to make lives with the people they loved, he does so while ensuring they retain their dignity.”-reedsy.com
An American Marriage, Tayari Jones: “This is a love story. But one that centres on an appalling miscarriage of justice. Newlyweds, Celestial and Roy, are the embodiment of the American Dream, until Roy is wrongly accused of rape and sentenced to twelve years. Jones doesn’t elaborate; the reader simply understands that a Black man, in the wrong place at the wrong time, will find retribution meted out swiftly and unquestioningly. What follows is a tender, rousing account of three people who are at once bound together and separated by forces beyond their control. An American Marriage probes important ideas with emotional intelligence and a colossal heart.”-reedsy.com
The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas: “Angie Thomas’s wildly successful The Hate U Give (now adapted by Netflix!) begins with a shooting. Starr Carter’s best friend, Khalil, is killed by police. As Khalil’s death makes national news, and the public question who’s to blame, Starr must provide answers. In this poignant, thoughtful, and inspirational novel, Angie Thomas tells a tale of the Black Lives Matter age, but make no mistake: this is no temporary trend, but a literary masterpiece.”~reedsy.com
Erasure, Percival Everett: This is the one ya’ll! “Everett’s Erasure is a watertight satire of the publishing industry and the issue of being “Black enough” in America. Monk Ellison is a novelist whose career has bottomed out. While his manuscript is rejected by publishers who say it “has nothing to do with the African-American experience”, We’s Lives in Da Ghetto — a novel by a Black author who “once visited some relatives in Harlem” — enjoys meteoric success. Enraged, and despairing at his personal life, Monk dashes off a novel he insists is “offensive, poorly written, racist and mindless”. But of course, it’s the Next Big Thing…”-reedsy.com
Kindred, Octavia Butler: “In what is considered a literary masterpiece and Butler’s most popular novel, Kindred follows a young Black woman named Dana. Though she lives in 1976 L.A., she’s suddenly transported to a Civil War–era plantation in Maryland. Soon, the more frequently Dana travels back in time, the longer she stays, as she faces dangers that threaten her life in the future.”-oprahdaily.com
Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, Manning Marable: “Hailed as “a masterpiece” (San Francisco Chronicle), Manning Marable’s acclaimed biography of Malcolm X finally does justice to one of the most influential and controversial figures of twentieth-century American history. Filled with startling new information and shocking revelations, Malcolm X unfolds a sweeping story of race and class in America. Reaching into Malcolm’s troubled youth, it traces a path from his parents’ activism as followers of Marcus Garvey through his own work with the Nation of Islam and rise in the world of black nationalism, and culminates in the never-before-told true story of his assassination. Malcolm X is a stunning achievement, the definitive work on one of our greatest advocates for social change.”-penguinrandomhouse.com
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou:
“Here is a book as joyous and painful, as mysterious and memorable, as childhood itself. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings captures the longing of lonely children, the brute insult of bigotry, and the wonder of words that can make the world right. Maya Angelou’s debut memoir is a modern American classic beloved worldwide.Sent by their mother to live with their devout, self-sufficient grandmother in a small Southern town, Maya and her brother, Bailey, endure the ache of abandonment and the prejudice of the local “powhitetrash.” At eight years old and back at her mother’s side in St. Louis, Maya is attacked by a man many times her age—and has to live with the consequences for a lifetime. Years later, in San Francisco, Maya learns that love for herself, the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors (“I met and fell in love with William Shakespeare”) will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned.Poetic and powerful, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings will touch hearts and change minds for as long as people read.” Amazon.com
